A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the southeastern coast of the Philippines Friday morning, sending shockwaves and sparking a situation of fear and panic.
Videos circulating across social media platforms capture the moment quake struck the region. One of the clip shows chaos erupted at Tagum City Davao Hospital, with staff and patients running out of the building amid powerful tremors.
Another video captures the interior of an office or building as files and boxes tumble from tables, tubelights sway dangerously, and lights flicker out. Employees are seen ducking under desks, shielding themselves from falling debris.
A separate video shows people on their knees attempting to balance themselves while the ground shakes strongly beneath them, pointing towards the intensity of the tremors.
Agency Phivolcs warned of aftershocks from the quake, which struck in the morning in waters off Manay town in Davao Oriental in the Mindanao region. At least one person was killed, civil defence official Raffy Alejandro said on Facebook.
The earthquake was among the strongest in recent years to strike the Philippines, a country on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” that experiences over 800 quakes annually.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said authorities were assessing the situation on the ground, and said search-and-rescue teams would be deployed when it was safe to do so.
"We are working round the clock to ensure that help reaches everyone who needs it," Marcos said in a statement.
Richie Diuyen, a disaster official in Manay near the epicentre said the quake lasted 30-40 seconds and initial damage included some houses, the facade of a church, cracked roads and unpassable bridges.
The Philippines is still recovering from a September 30 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 that left at least 74 people dead and displaced thousands of people in the central province of Cebu, particularly Bogo city and outlying towns.
(With agency inputs)
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